Gripen International hangs in waiting for a change of fortunes

The loser of the multi-task aircraft tender, British-Swedish consortium Gripen International has extended the expiry date of its offer, the company spokeswoman Joanna Sjolander said. This comes as the company authorities hope that in case the deal with Lockheed Martin falls through, they would be picked as the next contractor. "Leszek Miller's government has still a lot to do before it signs the contract with Amercians", said Sjolander, who stressed that the Americans are awaiting for the business climate to improve in Poland before they go ahead with the deal. According to Gripen, its offer is much better than the Lockheed Martin's, although its nominal price is higher, but it is more favourable to Polish air-sector companies in Mielec and Swidnik. (www.biznes.onet.pl) J.K.